New York’s plan to create three types of driver’s licenses, including one for illegal immigrants, has everyone talkingâ everyone except the state’s Democratic senators, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Charles Schumer.

New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer announced over the weekend that he had struck a deal with federal homeland security officials to create a three-tiered state system of licenses. In doing so, New York agreed to adopt Bush administration goals on tighter identification security, but Spitzer stuck to his much-criticized plan to allow illegal immigrants to get licenses.

The license debate, hard-wired to issues like immigration, terrorism and civil liberties, may simply be too radioactive for either a presidential candidate like Clinton or a powerful senator like Schumer.

For years, Clinton and Schumer seemingly couldn’t stop talking about the government’s looming border ID rules.

Now it’s different.

“She’s running for president, and this is a land-mine no matter what you do,” said Doug Muzzio, a professor of politics at Baruch College in New York. “The best strategy for her is to do what she’s doing: keep quiet, because whatever you said, you will tick off constituencies, whether it’s in the primary or the general election.”

For Schumer, the danger is less obvious, but still very real to the third-ranking Democrat in the U.S. Senate.

Also, Spitzer’s popularity among New York voters is sinking fast, lashed to the political dead weight of his license plan.

“Spitzer himself has become toxic,” said Muzzio. “It’s not only the message, it’s the messenger.”

May it only continue to blow up in his face. The most contentious local election near Buffalo is for County Clerk where this issue is huge. One candidate said he’s go to jail rather than issue the licenses, the other said she would have to follow the law. She’d issue the license and immediately call ICE and the Sheriff’s office to come pick up the illegal alien.

“To many of us, the worst part of the governor’s new decision is his determination to opt into the Real ID Act years before it was necessary,” said State Senator Eric Schneiderman, a Manhattan Democrat who had been a key supporter of the governor. “He is helping Chertoff and the Bush administration rescue a failed public policy that was about to go down to defeat.”http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/29/nyregion/29spitzer.html

Bush went soft on illegals to embolden them. Now that they feel comfortable, they come crawling out of the woodwork in front of the cameras. The FBI then identifies them for the day the roundups start.

One candidate said he’s go to jail rather than issue the licenses, the other said she would have to follow the law. She’d issue the license and immediately call ICE and the Sheriff’s office to come pick up the illegal alien.

That brings up an interesting dillema. Do you vote for the guy who flat-out says he’ll break the law (and his oath of office) or do you vote for the woman who will obey the abhorrent law but then become a snitch? Gotta a be a third option here- I’m thinking making the public outrage so hot that Sptizer (ever the delicate poltical flower) wilts from all the criticism.

One candidate said he’s go to jail rather than issue the licenses, the other said she would have to follow the law. She’d issue the license and immediately call ICE and the Sheriff’s office to come pick up the illegal alien.
That brings up an interesting dillema. Do you vote for the guy who flat-out says he’ll break the law (and his oath of office) or do you vote for the woman who will obey the abhorrent law but then become a snitch? Gotta a be a third option here- I’m thinking making the public outrage so hot that Sptizer (ever the delicate poltical flower) wilts from all the criticism.

highhopes on October 30, 2007 at 11:42 AM

Unfortunately, in Buffalo politics, there is no lesser of the 2 evils. This city, county and state have been so mismanaged that the population is half what it was 50 years ago. The only way you generate the white hot criticism you mention would be if the illegals were using the licenses to take government and UAW jobs.

Real good point about federal law. The moonbats use the 9th Circuit court like it is a play thing for their liberal agenda. Where are the East Coast Federal Judges doing these days. Shoe tapping in the men’s rooms at the Federal Courthouses? It is time for the Courts to step up to the plate, and I don’t mean more crap like Plyler v. Doe.

I have never seen a Governor tank so fast as Spitzer. How someone can do something so mind boggling idiotic as go from one scandal to something so moronic as to make himself look all the more incompetent, is beyond me. As a NYS Taxpayer, I am completely opposed to ANY kind of license or ID system of Illegals. If you’re here illegally, you should not get the benefit of my tax dollars or any kind of rewards for breaking the law. Governor Spitzer should be embarrassed and ashamed, but obviously that won’t happen. If he had any hopes of being re-elected, they’ve gone up in smoke over this fiasco. I never voted for him, and I certainly won’t vote for him now.

Its against Federal Law to knowingly aid and abet illegals… punishable by up to 5 years in jail…

Now… setting up this program is a pretty clear case of aiding and abetting…

Chertoff has made an agreeement to allow New York to aid and abet illegals…

Where is his legal authority? Where does it say he gets to disregard Federal Law, and override the will of the Congress?

Romeo13 on October 30, 2007 at 11:39 AM

Chertoff threatened he might have to start enforcing immigration laws if shamnesty was not passed so he already confessed he chooses which laws to enforce. Bush let Chertoff stand on those comments which makes Bush …. well … a law breaker condoning law breaking.

Does anyone know if New York has a “Motor Voter” law? Here in Virginia, with Motor Voter, I think a person is automatically registered to vote when issued a license.

Hmmmm. Maybe that’s the point…..

BacaDog on October 30, 2007 at 11:39 AM

It is the only point. Federal law mandates motor voter. I was told Ted Kennedy initiated motor voter. In my Michigan Secretary of States office I watched as workers told applicants signing the final form before it went into the machine ‘check here to vote’. Everyone checks the box and everyone gets registered. We are asked for voter registration cards at the polls as ID.

One candidate said he’s go to jail rather than issue the licenses, the other said she would have to follow the law. She’d issue the license and immediately call ICE and the Sheriff’s office to come pick up the illegal alien.

Why can’t I vote for people like these? With people like these two, America yet lives!

“I don’t endorse giving driver’s licenses to people who are not here legally” – though, he added, “federal law does allow states to make that choice.”

Cherthoff, per NYP article

I guess I am surprised to hear this, but I’ll chaulk it up to Cherthoff, being of DHS and not the Justice Department, is speaking extemporaneously about states having the authority to regulate DI issuance and that this is not strictly true from the perspective of a state acting in a manner that conflicts with other federal laws.

Does anybody else feel like having a huge spring break party in Mexico city, and while we’re there demand liscenses and government welfare?

C’mon folks, lets bring the America back to North America. Spread far and wide americans, but make sure you are an american wherever you go, and if the indigenous people don’t like it, call them xenophobic and seek asylum in the nearest church.

They are not citizens, and so they have no contract with our country. They have not accepted our flag and our laws, and consequently they have absolutely no rights, no privileges whatsoever.

When non-citizen illegals start bellyaching about “rights,” what they are really talking about is “handouts.” They don’t really want a reciprocal arrangement where they contribute something in return, or they wouldn’t be illegal!

True but one of the huge things was his push to give DL to illegals .
That was his final straw and galvanized the voters to say in a loud clear vote YOU’RE FIRED!
If NY can recall their gov they should follow the lead of California.

Even with out Arnold the open boarder lt gov would have lost to the real conservative McClintock

I hadn’t realized it was Davis’ DL’s to illegals that was the prime instigator. I had thought it was the budget hiding debacle compounded by his continued ineffectual response to the previous power crisis.

In any event, I wanted to push grabbing the crown before anyone realized that, from the little I have looked at it, NY has no framework for recalling the governor and, thus, barring a felony conviction, NY’ers can’t get rid of him for about three more years. As such, seeing that one proposal has been put forward in the Assembly for creating a Recall Article, the best we might do is dub the amendment to our Constitution, the Sptizer Amendment.

The only way to stop this is to get Conservatives and Republicans elected to the NY state legislature. Fortunately elections are right around the corner. Unfortunately the Republican party is a shell (screw you Pataki!) and the Conservative party is also fairly weak.